15 Signs You’re in the Middle Class

you are watching the sunday motivational video 15 signs you're in the middle class welcome to Alex calm the place where future billionaires come to get inspired hallo a lack sirs it's amazing to have you back with us and this week's video is quite interesting we realized we spend all our time focusing on the rich and the poor but never address the majority of the population some of you aspire to move into the middle class some of you will realize you're actually in it and for a small portion of you this is so far behind you you never want to go back again in order to have a clear understanding of what the middle class is think of it like this if you're not in the bottom 20% of your population nor in the top 20% congratulations you're like the majority of the population in what is called the middle class this middle class is also segmented into three subsections the lower middle class middle middle class and upper middle class but in order to keep things clear we'll cover it as a whole if you're not sure where you fit into all of this let's run a quick experiment being middle class is when spending $100 is expensive but earning $100 isn't a lot of money can you relate let's see if you make the cut or nap here are 15 signs you're in the middle class number one you live near where you grew up statistically speaking you're still living in the city you are born in or have made the move to the next big city near you you went for studies there and ended up settling down where you are offered a job after you graduated you know there are other cities that sparked your interest but for some reason making such a big change felt overwhelming so you decided to play it safe you spend around one hour each day commuting to and from work you have a fairly repetitive job somewhere in the middle of the hierarchy of a multinational company or work for the state in some form or another your romantic partner is also from the same geography and you met each other through friends work or studies you probably have a favorite grocery store and have tried the majority of restaurants because honestly there aren't that many you got excited when they opened a Starbucks number two you have a mortgage but own your car you probably have a decent job and are renting a nice place or have made the decision to get a mortgage on your own place slowly building equity if you went to the mortgage route you're probably priced out of the city center and chose a development complex somewhere with good connections to the city you've considered commuting via public transport but the car is more comfortable the car is the first big purchase in your life it felt like a stretch buying it but you didn't go crazy and you settled for a medium range model that gets good gas mileage you always dreamt of driving a sports car or something cool but you know these cars make no sense in your day-to-day life utility is the main reason you purchased it your big goal is to pay off your mortgage and leave the house to your kids so they don't have to work as hard as you did unfortunately according to a 2018 report one in three Millennials will be renting their entire lives number three your house or garage is cluttered with nonsense at one point in your life money started coming in not a lot but more than before your expenses were fairly low so you began buying things you thought were cool they now pile up in your garage or certain rooms in your house without being used you're too attached to them to throw them away or donate them because they meant a lot to you when you purchase them you're not a big throw away person you most likely still have clothes from several years ago that no longer fit or are out of style but you'd never get rid of them this type of behavior can be seen throughout your life and household you likely have a big bag or drawer filled with other plastic bags but you forget to bring them with you when you visit the grocery store raise your hand if you can relate to this being middle-class is not tearing the gift wrap from your gift because you can save it to wrap someone else's gift you're likely to have multiple mugs and glasses from different marketing promotions still lying around and this is just the beginning depending on age in the country these habits can vary but they do carry the same underlying desire number four you are likely more formally educated than the rest you probably didn't expect this but the middle class is statistically more formally educated than the rich a good portion of the middle class is made out of what would be considered intellectuals these people have decent paying jobs because they specialize in a particular field they have their degree they know how to follow rules and get paid for their time they take pride in their studies and believe that traditional education is still your best option for success in life they are the a students they're obedient follow the rules work hard and make excellent employees usually for B and C students who are more open to taking risks than they are the reality is that in the majority of cases the front row students in class end up working for those sitting in the back the big problem is the traditional middle class jobs are declining if back in the day the average person held five to seven jobs in their lifetime today according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics the average worker currently holds twelve to fifteen different jobs before the age of 40 and this number is growing quickly as the workforce becomes more and more segmented the world requires you to quickly reinvent yourself or adapt your skill set to new emerging industries which poses a big problem for anyone who's putting all their eggs in a single basket of traditional education number five you can afford subscriptions and don't need to pirate software or entertainment you probably love watching TV in one shape or another it's either for sports or TV shows you can afford your Netflix subscription and binge binge binge the same happened with music you now pay for Apple music or Spotify at one point you even lost track of how many subscriptions you have because they get billed automatically and as long as there's still money in your account at the end of the month you feel good about yourself and the convenience that these services bring yes you still share your password with a couple of friends or family because why wouldn't you but the age of ripping music from YouTube or downloading pirated software is so long behind you you pay for the software games and entertainment and you like that you are a bit more sophisticated from a technical perspective your life is filled with fairly modern gadgets you own both a laptop and a desktop and your iPhone is not older than three years technology has evolved alongside you and you probably take privacy a lot more seriously now you're more scared of people hacking your email than anyone having a photo of your signature the biggest threat in your life right now is identity hacking and you're constantly worried that people will get access to your private information that's why you started protecting yourself in order to keep your online activity safe we recommend using a VPN which is a simple easy to use app that protects you from prying eyes if you haven't by now go to a locks calm slash VPN and purchase a license Nord VPN has been a longtime friend of the channel and a luxe comm community and we are super excited to have them back with an exclusive offer for you guys specifically get 70% off Nord VPN only three dollars forty nine cents a month plus you get an additional two months for free if you're in a laxer go to a locks calm slash a VPN and get a subscription now you only need to be hacked once and your entire life can be in jeopardy thanks to Nord VPN for supporting our community number six you want your children to go on a safe career path middle-class families are all over the map when it comes to parenting styles but if you begin to dig deep enough you'll see a focus on security and a low risk because they are educated themselves and have been doing well they want the same for their children they start a college fund early on and make sure their kids know just how big of a deal getting into college is it's very rare for middle-class families to be supportive of creative or entrepreneurial endeavors happens because they found the recipe to what they consider a fulfilling life and they don't want jr. wasting their time or being a leech for long because they know they can't actually afford it you'd rather see your child in a boring but safe job that pays less than risk going for a fulfilling career number seven you pretend to be rich the middle class always had a fascination with the wrench mostly because they aspire to move up in rankings 2 in 3 middle people in the middle class believe if they work hard enough they can make the leap from this perspective the middle class is a lot more optimistic than everyone else in comparison the poor are more pessimistic in nature while the rich are more realist the middle class does not study the rich instead they follow them as entertainment consuming content is the favorite pastime the middle class is obsessed not with how the rich build wealth but with the wealth that they managed to build you probably read tabloid magazines and websites you follow your favorite celebrities everywhere because it gives you the opportunity to peek into a lifestyle that you desire for yourself the middle class is not afraid to pamper themselves despite not really being able to afford it luxury brands have understood this desire very well in recent years and we've seen a shift in strategy on their behalf the rich are no longer the main target when it comes to luxury goods it's the middle class who wants to appear to be rich this is why brands like Gucci Louie boot Saul Balenciaga and more are offering more accessible products the middle class cares more about the brand than the quality of the goods that's why every other girl you see is rocking the same Michael Kors bag and watch holding the same Starbucks drink wearing the same type of sneaker and hoodie and the same goes for the guys meanwhile the poor want to do the same but they can't afford even the entry-level stuff so they buy the fakes number eight you buy infomercial products you are the designated market for everyone the middle class has both the numbers and the income to afford to buy things they don't need all they have to do is market it to you correctly this doesn't mean infomercial products aren't effective but they are not a necessity be honest do you really need HD vision wraparound glasses the shake weight or a brand new set of knives all with a diamond ring as a gift if you call right now these products usually look and feel cheaper than they seem on TV and break more frequently than traditional alternatives truth be told they can all be fixed with Flex tape you can slap that bad boy anywhere the underlying theme here is that as a part of the middle class you're the target of the majority of ads and selling strategies of brands here's something to keep in mind when you walk into a grocery store and you enjoy the music they're playing you've become their target demographic number 9 you travel but only to inexpensive destinations traveling is such an interesting thing to observe across different socio-economic classes as a member of the middle class you do travel but you do it a lot more strategically it usually involves a lot of research comparing flights using coupons and points in order to get the most out of every penny you always fly economy and you think first-class is a ripoff but you wouldn't mind trying it for once just to see what it's like you never go to 5-star hotels or resorts for the same reason and when you do finally check into a three or four star hotel the minibar is off-limits your travel options are limited by the destination low-cost flight providers are offering in your geography yet you're happy with two city breaks and a couple of days by the beach per year the bigger the family the more likely you are to travel by car eating at restaurants is reserved for special occasions and even then you rarely go through the wine list compared to the poor you do travel and are a lot more open-minded even though you're more likely to be a tourist than a traveler you're enjoying your days away from the office you still get super excited every time you go to a new destination and embrace the new culture something the rich rarely do because they spend most of their time in high-end hotels disconnected from what's actually happening and depending on where in the world you live you might find yourself clapping when the plane lands number 10 you thought you grew up in a poor family until you met someone who actually did a large portion of the middle-class actually considers themselves poor because they only look above themselves an income and lifestyle the truth is most of the population lives more or less the same way as you two grew up under very similar conditions and face the same kind of difficulties you did you just didn't know about it this misconception happened because when you were growing up you always saw your parents stressing about money it's never a pleasant experience and now you find yourself doing better than they were at your age you consider yourself a massive success although you still stress about bills they're being covered and there's still some access capital at the end of the month you can probably afford health and life insurance growing up there were things you saw other kids have that you wanted but you knew your family couldn't afford them you are probably a good kid and your entire outlook changed when you met someone who had it way worse than you did and since then you've been grateful for the sacrifice your family is made all of your past experiences made you the person you are today number eleven you fear the loss of your job although you're fairly confident in your skills losing your job is simply something you can't afford right now you like your lifestyle and starting over is something you think is a young person's game you like everything the way it is right now you like the office parties and even the team-building weekends you get to go on once in a while but you really don't love it if another company offered you 30% more in pay you would definitely make the switch the extra money is definitely welcomed and justifies the move you believe your boss is an idiot and you know you could do a better job but you never took any action to prove yourself nor do you plan to you would definitely accept a more pompous title at work even if it didn't improve your pay your job is the largest portion of your income and your savings aren't enough to allow for more than three months to go by until things get serious number 12 you buy things but hardly use the expensive ones this might vary from culture to culture but from our experience we've seen this behavior everywhere the middle class has two sets of possessions the everyday ones and the ones they get to bring out when the guests come or appearances need to be kept up from the good plates to the good outfit which gets reserved for special occasions only if your family used to do this like this video right now we're curious to see if this happens everywhere not only this but you're probably focused on maintaining the fresh look of your possessions for as long as possible even if it comes with a drawback and usability a couple of examples include people covering their furniture in plastic people not removing the plastic covers from gadgets or devices people keeping the original boxes for items somewhere in the house because you never know if you might need to return them your house is probably filled with reproduction art purchased from your favorite furniture store or kitschy decorations meant to reflect who you are number 13 you look forward to retirement retirement is the promised land you can't wait to stop working you picked yourself somewhere on a beach drinking mojitos are constantly on the lake fishing the downside is you still have several years ahead of you that is unless you hit it big with the lottery this week you've been buying tickets since you were young you like it you like sports betting as well although you're constantly pouring money in you get motivated when you win some of it back every once in a while despite this you tell everyone you know that you're having a positive return because it's more skill-based than luck you've never really given much thought to how retirement will actually work you're trusting the system 401 case maybe a little bit of savings here and there you just trust you'll figure it out when the time comes you look forward to traveling more once retired your dream vacation is one of those cruises where everything is available to you number fourteen you enjoy sports with bigger balls basketball football bowling etc you're probably really into sports you're still a big fan of the same team your father or brother was rooting for since childhood despite them not being a top performer you never really understood golf because you like the excitement of the fast-paced rhythm the gameplay of sports like football or basketball come with that's why cricket and hockey are also big winners with the middle class you think you would have made a great athlete but due to some external event you couldn't pursue this path in some cases an injury but in most cases a lack of financial resources and the fact you weren't really that good but this desire to remain active has stuck with you although you're probably a bit overweight you still find some time to pursue a weird hobby you've spent way too much money on gear for it to be justifiable to your spouse so you keep it on the down-low and they do the same if it came to it you'd gladly fight someone who is a fan of the opposing team or who's disrespecting yours number 15 you identify as a member of a clear group religion politics minorities and more the middle class is statistically the segment of the population that has the highest attendance to religious events this has been done due to several reasons with a big one being the need to keep up appearances followed by a sense of community and the potential rewards in the afterlife these are also the people who are most divided when it comes to politics holding strong ideologies the majority is pretty set when it comes to which direction they lean toward they have a tendency to stick with the same ideology for decades because at some point they feel they benefited from the policies there's a good point to be made here also for first and second generation immigrants people usually come from less fortunate geographies and they have to sacrifice their lifestyles until they can secure their position in the middle class there are very few cases where first-generation immigrants manage to get a strong foothold in all things considered the middle class is the most patriotic segment of the population they care deeply about the country they're in and are unlikely to take in criticism even if it's valid they worship the military and the flag because growing up they were taught an edited version of history about how great and impressive their country wants everyone thinks we're the good guys and their country is number one at something now a Lexus this is a great opportunity to share your input about what being in the middle class is in your geography what screams I'm in the middle class in your country let us know in the comments and we'll be sure to show some love to those of you contributing we really do read the comments and you'll be surprised how often we reply to them and as a thank you for sticking with us through this Sunday motivational video here's the bonus you're waiting for number 16 you're stressed out because you had higher hopes for yourself we know time is passing quickly and by this point in your journey you wish you had more of it figured out and in its place you always considered yourself a high achiever but somewhere along the way you lost your enthusiasm and fell into a routine here's what we have to say to this never underestimate the effect 12 months of focus and action can have on the rest of your life there are two things you can do right now that will have the biggest impact toward getting more out of your life in the future one the first one is working on what's happening inside your head you need to regain the ability to focus and self motivate this is why our first digital product focuses exclusively on mastering this aspect you'll learn how to use your mind to come up with creative answers that bring value to your life go to Alex comm slash mind mastery to get it pro tip we're opening the doors this month on Black Friday was a great discount for the people already on the waiting list make sure you don't miss out we are opening the doors once again for a limited period of time and - the second thing is the way you plan your year ahead everyone has New Year's resolutions but only a few manage to keep up with them this is done by planning and developing a schedule that allows you to hit your goals and this is why we're working on goal mastery our second digital product which will be available at Alex calm slash goals buying these two and you have a great chance to get more out of the life you're currently living to prove you're a true a laxer and you're just temporarily in the middle class please write going up in the comment section that way we know which of you have decided it's time to break free from the middle class and go to the top thank you for spending some time with us a lack sirs make sure to subscribe so you never miss another video we also hand-picked these videos for you to watch next as always the conversation continues on social media thanks again and we can't wait to have you back tomorrow

Channel: Alux.com

Views: 1,228,529

Rating: 4.6001887 out of 5

Keywords: Alux, Alux.com, Alux Youtube, middle class, signs middle class, middle class mindset, middle class culture, growing up middle class, middle class values, middle class problems, escape middle class, middle class indicators, middle class lifestyle, middle class expenses, middle class education, life in middle class, middle class definition, middle class thinking, middle class advantages, middle class differences, middle class to rich, middle class secrets, alux middle class

Id: tsEdlF2Subw

Length: 22min 15sec (1335 seconds)

Published: Sun Nov 17 2019